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    Home » Main dishes

    Braised lamb shanks

    January 7, 2018 by Caroline's Cooking

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    These braised lamb shanks take a little time but minimal effort and are so worth the wait. Rich, tender and deliciously full of flavor. Comfort food at its best.

    You need to be a little patient to enjoy these braised lamb shanks, but there's not much hands on work and they are so worth the wait. Rich, tender and delicious, this is comfort food at it's best.

    Jump to Recipe
    Braised lamb shank in bowl with sauce over top and fork in front of bowl.

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    Lamb shanks are undoubtedly one of my favorite dishes. If I see it on the menu when we are out, I am pretty much always tempted. I remember having it one time when we were visiting family in the UK and it was on the menu at the pub we went for dinner.

    Both of my parents and I ordered it, and all of us, including my then three-year-old son who had some lots of mine, made sure we got every last bite it was so good. The one thing you can't get away from if you make lamb shanks at home is they need a while to cook, as you need to break down some of the connective tissue.

    bowl of braised lamb shanks over couscous with pot in background behind.

    But once you do, you are left with some seriously flavorful meat that is fall-off-the-bone tender.

    I've previously shared less typical but delicious lamb shank recipes like my slow cooker lamb rogan josh with lamb shanks. These braised lamb shanks are I guess a bit more traditional and full of Mediterranean flavors that we all loved, kids included.

    I've drawn on a few recipes for this and the result is such a flavorful dish that is already a firm favorite (is it strange to have young kids requesting them?!).

    braised lamb shanks in pot just out oven with spoon in pot scooping some sauce

    Steps to make braised lamb shanks

    This dish follows the fairly typical approach for braised dishes:

    1. Brown the meat.
    2. Soften the vegetables.
    3. Deglaze and add the other sauce ingredients.
    4. Add back the meat.
    5. Transfer to the oven to cook low and slow.

    You could do this in the slow cooker, but I think it works better as an oven cook so that the sauce thickens up a little and the flavor intensifies.

    You still end up with a bit more sauce than you need, but you can keep the extra and use it with pasta. Or, if you've got younger kids like us, they had mainly sauce with some couscous and a few bits of meat added in.

    making braised lamb shanks - deglazing pan with wine, adding tomatoes and after slow braise

    A family favorite

    As my 5 year old was eating his bowl the first time, he declared, "this is delicious!" and proceeded to ask for more of everything, particularly the meat. Never one to be left out, my 2 year old then asked for more too. Even once we were finished, my older son then tried to spot leftover bits on the bones!

    braised lamb shank covered in sauce served over couscous

    These braised lamb shanks may take a little time to cook, but it is hands off time, and time well spent. The meat is tender, the sauce is full of flavor but without any one thing dominating - not too much red wine, not too much tomato.

    Just a wonderful, warming bowl of deliciousness.

    braised lamb shanks with forkful held above bowl

    Try these other comforting meals:

    • Slow cooker short ribs
    • Bo kho - Vietnamese beef stew
    • Pulled pork stuffed shells
    • Roman lamb stew (abbacchio alla cacciatora)
    • Beef osso buco
    • Plus get more ideas in the winter recipes archives.
    Braised lamb shank in bowl with couscous under and sauce over.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Braised lamb shanks

    These braised lamb shanks are wonderfully tender and served with a deliciously flavorful sauce. 
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Servings: 2 or more (see notes)
    Calories: 451kcal
    Author: Caroline's Cooking
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    Ingredients

    • ½ cup carrot ½ cup is 1 medium-large carrot
    • 1 cup onion 1 cup is roughly a medium-large onion
    • 2 ribs celery 2 ribs is approximately ½ cup
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 ½ lb lamb shanks 1 ½lb is around 2 smaller shanks, see notes
    • ½ cup red wine
    • 14 oz chopped tomatoes or can use passata (some pictures above with each)
    • ½ cup light stock
    • ½ tablespoon tomato paste tomato puree
    • 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 bay leaf

    Instructions

    • Peel and finely dice the carrots and onions. Slice the celery thinly, cutting any larger slices in half or smaller so they are similar size to the carrots and onions.
    • Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
    • Warm half of the oil in an ovenproof dish large enough to hold both lamb shanks but relatively tightly, so the sauce will come well up the side without needing too much. Add the lamb shanks and brown on all sides, over a medium-high heat - I know this can be tricky given their shape but do as best you can. Remove from pan and set aside.
    • Add the carrot, onion and celery to the pan along with the rest of the oil and cook, stirring now and then, for a couple minutes until the onions are softened. Reduce heat if needed so they don't burn.
    • Add the red wine and allow it to bubble a minute then add the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, mixed herbs, thyme and bay leaf. Stir to ensure mixed then add back the lamb shanks, pushing them under the sauce so they are largely covered. 
    • Cover the dish and transfer to the oven. Cook for approximately 2 hours, a little more is fine, checking after around 1 ½ hours and turning the lamb shanks if they are out of the sauce. If the sauce looks particularly low, add a little more stock but you do want it to reduce a bit (see photos above).
    • Great served with something to mop up the sauce eg couscous, rice, quinoa or mashed potato.

    Video

    Notes

    While the recipe describes using 2 smaller lamb shanks for 2 people, we also often make this with 2 or 3 larger shanks (so nearer 2lb/900g or a little more) and take the meat off the bone, return it to the sauce and serve as more of a ragu. Especially with another side, this can easily then serve 4 of us. The other ingredients can stay around the same and it's just a meatier sauce, or you can increase them all a little, as you prefer.
    We also sometimes omit the celery, if we don't need it for other things, and just increase the onion a little. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 505mg | Potassium: 1214mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 5913IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 6mg
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    Try some other main dish ideas from other bloggers:

    • Chicken Zucchini Pasta with Almond Pesto by April Golightly
    • Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken Spaghetti by The Bitter Side of Sweet
    • Dutch Oven Braised Pot Roast Dinner by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
    • Panko and Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops by Jersey Girl Cooks
    • Skillet Chicken Parmesan by Hardly A Goddess
    • Slow Cooker Irish Lamb Stew by Cooking Chat
    • Turkey Fennel Skillet Dinner by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

    Remember to pin for later!

    These braised lamb shanks take a little time but minimal effort and are so worth the wait. Rich, tender and deliciously full of flavor. Comfort food at its best.
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    1. Eileen says

      January 08, 2018 at 3:19 pm

      Oh, wow. This looks so good Caroline! I love lamb and I just don't cook it often enough. Can't wait to try this recipe.

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 13, 2018 at 8:23 pm

        Thanks Eileen, lamb is one of my favorites, though despite that we don't have it as often as some other things. This is definitely a favorite way to enjoy it.

        Reply
    2. David @ Cooking Chat says

      January 08, 2018 at 6:56 am

      great weather for slow cooked goodness like this one!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 08, 2018 at 1:47 pm

        Thanks David, that's one way of looking at this cold - an excuse for delicious meals like this!

        Reply
    3. Cindy's Recipes and Writings says

      January 07, 2018 at 11:11 pm

      That sauce sounds great over anything! That shank meat looks so tender!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 08, 2018 at 1:47 pm

        Thanks, I agree the sauce would be great with pasta, rice or a whole bunch of grains it has so much flavor. And yes, the meat is wonderfully tender.

        Reply
    4. Trang says

      January 07, 2018 at 5:05 pm

      5 stars
      This looks absolutely amazing! I'm definitely going to try your recipe for dinner one day!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 08, 2018 at 1:46 pm

        Thank you, definitely give it a try - I hope you'll enjoy as much as we did.

        Reply
    5. Christie says

      January 07, 2018 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      I'm going to be on the lookout for lamb shanks now. These look amazing. SO hearty and delicious. Cute story about the boys, too.

      Reply
    6. Laura Dembowski says

      January 07, 2018 at 11:41 am

      Oh, this looks wonderfully comforting and nourishing!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 07, 2018 at 1:22 pm

        Thanks Laura, it very much is.

        Reply
    7. Jersey Girl Cooks says

      January 07, 2018 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      This looks so good and I can imagine how it smells when it is cooking!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 07, 2018 at 1:22 pm

        Thanks, yes the smell is really good (makes the waiting hard!)

        Reply
    8. Renee - Kudos Kitchen says

      January 07, 2018 at 11:05 am

      Braising is my favorite way to cook in the winter months. This has to happen soon at my house!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 07, 2018 at 1:21 pm

        I can understand Renee, it gives such great flavors, and I hope you'll enjoy this as much as we did.

        Reply
    9. Liz says

      January 07, 2018 at 10:23 am

      A frigid Sunday like today is the perfect time to make these yummy lamb shanks! My hubby would be thrilled!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 07, 2018 at 1:21 pm

        Thanks Liz. We had this again last night for that very reason, it's perfect for this really cold weather.

        Reply
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